Track Averging alteration?

[hype]

Hey nab!

I think your button/logo is great! I do think the text "TrackerViz" should be bigger, just so people are really clear as to the name of the tool. Right now it's about the same size as the little title in the Windows window. But if you like it, I do too! It took me a moment to realize the logo is the help button now!

and nice, very clever to have the Shape/Tracker to Layer update depending on what you prefer to work with! Dang, man, little details like that are just really making this thing so cool!!

And, I was messing with the Layers to Shape right now - HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly, I think you have made the ultimate roto-tracking tool!!!
I had NO IDEA it was going to be that easy!! The whole time I was setting up a test shot, I was thinking, "If this works, it's going to revolutionize AE rotoscoping for me", and WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! It did!!! It worked perfectly! Now we can track stuff, tweak the tracks, average them, correct them, re-order them, do whatever we want to them, and then turn it into a prefect roto!

Astounding work!! You've exceded what I was looking for by a LONG SHOT!

I will take a look at the fps stuff next week-end.

Are you going to make the animation fps default to whatever the project is? After that fix, this thing is done! It will be perfect!

Wow, I still can't believe how easy that was to rototrack.

I'm going to pimp this thing all over the internet.

[nab]

I've added a larger icon and I've changed the way mask keyframes are created. Instead of choosing the frame rate, you specify the Keyframe Rate which is the frequency at which keyframes are created. The default value is 1, meaning that a keyframe is created at every frame (no matter what the composition frame rate is). A value of 2 creates a keyframe every two frames, etc...
TrackerViz.zip

[hype]

excellent idea! Can't wait to get home and give it a test run!

[hype]

Wow, nab, I think it's done!!

I LOVE the new logo, much better! Definitely advertises what it is, so if people see me using it in tutorials, they'll no what to look for (even though I'll have links to it everywhere!).

And the way the keyframes work is perfect! Much easier!

Thanks a million for this! It seems done to me, and does everything (and more) that I was looking for!!

Of course, if I run into any bugs while using it, I'll definitely let you know in this thread.

I'll try to get the tutorials going in the next couple weeks!

Sean

[bta1701]

This script is really cool, thanks for making it! Is it possible to turn this into a Script UI embedded panel? How might I do that? Just putting it into the ScriptUI folder doesn't do the trick, so there must be some kinda code mod...

Thanks!

bart

[hype]

Hahaha, thats a cool idea!

I shot footage this weekend for some video tutorials for TrackerViz.

[Paul Tuersley]

Am I right in thinking that you can't convert back to the original mask shape when using Layers To Shape? So the new mask shape matches the original's vertices, but not bezier tangents?

I've been helping out on this script: Rototracking palette for AE (6.5, 7, CS3) which does convert track points back to the original mask. I posted some steps on how to use it for that here: Controling individual vertices in a path

I'd rather use TrackerViz, so consider this a feature request if it isn't already possible.

Paul

[hype]

Hey Paul,

I can't really help with changing the code or anything (if you've read this whole thread, you know I can't script my way out of a wet paper bag), but I'm just curious about the details of what you're wanting it to do.

Are you basically saying that TrackerViz kind of "resets" the bezier tangents when you apply the data to a mask, so you lose any specific curves you have set up when you first drew the mask?

[Paul Tuersley]

Yeah, that was what I was saying. It's more useful to me if it accurately retains the original mask shape. TrackerViz only seems to offer the choice of corners or curves.

I've use the other script a few times on motion graphics work, generally using expressions to create realistic motion, or to lock into 3D coordinates, and then using the Stroke effect on the resulting animated mask.

Paul

[hype]

It's more useful to me if it accurately retains the original mask shape.

I wholeheartedly agree. Another feature I really like in the proprietary software we use here at work is a small checkbox that, when checked, allows you to adjust a mask vertice over all keyframes. Basically, if you check it, then move a mask vertice or a bezier handle 10 pixels to the left, it applies that 10 pixel shift for the whole duration without affecting the overall position of the vertice or handle. I've gotten REALLY used to using it, but I can't imagine that something like that could be scripted into AE.

So the additions you made to the other rototracking script leave the original mask bezier handles intact when you apply the tracking data? Does it also interpret them throughout the frame range? Adjusting handles and curves on a mask is such a specific thing, I can't imagine a scenario where you wouldn't have to go through every frame and readjust the handles after applying track data.

[Paul Tuersley]

I didn't put that functionality in the script, it already worked that way (I recently posted a bug fix, but didn't write the original script).

I can't imagine many scenarios where you'd be able to successfully use a rototracking script for it's literal purpose, but there are other uses for it. I haven't felt the need to adjust beziers frame by frame afterwards, keeping the original bezier handles is good enough for me.

Looking at that other script, it doesn't seem too hard to add this function. I'm guessing that if a script alters the vertices of an existing mask, but doesn't specifically set the bezier handles, it keeps the original ones intact. Nab will probably have this working within 10 minutes of seeing these posts.

Paul

[hype]

I can't imagine many scenarios where you'd be able to successfully use a rototracking script for it's literal purpose

Oh man, I encounter things everyday where I use it! Here's the example I used in a rototracking tutorial I did.



For geometric things like screen replacements, label replacements, sign changes, things like that, it's perfect and saves tons of time. And so much of visual effects is just fixing mistakes that were made on set. but I totally agree with you, there are many other uses for this stuff, as well.

Nab will probably have this working within 10 minutes of seeing these posts.

Hahahahaha, I agree!

[hype]

Something else I was thinking of today on my way to work, for a potential version 2.0.

Maybe a "Corner Pin" selection in the drop down menu. Like, you would select 4 layers with positional data, pick the Corner Pin option, then run it, and it would create a new solid layer with the corner pin effect applied, and the positional data plugged into the corner pin corners. Maybe the solid could be created at the same size as the composition you are working in.

Just an idea, and I wanted to record here so I wouldn't forget.

[hype]

Hey nab,

There seems to be a bug with the Shape to Layers function. If you watch the 3rd tutorial I made, you can see me run into the problem in there. Tutorials are here:
http://www.aenhancers.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1070

EDIT: Disregard this post. The layer I rotoed on just needed to be set to 100% opacity, which it wasn't. Shape to Layers works fine!

[hype]

Naturally, some people asked if it works in AE 7.0. I said I didn't know, and they tried it. Apparently, it doesn't. But then, once they precomposed the footage, it DID work!

Just recording a log here, for future reference.